News
The September 2006 issue of the AUK Chronicle (newsletter) can be downloaded or viewed by clicking here.
Dear AUK Community,
It is a privilege to address you in my new capacity as President of the American University of Kuwait. The wonderful beginnings of AUK bring a tremendous sense of responsibility because of the exciting challenges that lie ahead. I am inspired by the confidence shown in me by the Board of Trustees and appreciate the support and contribution of all who helped to make our young university a standard of excellence among the institutions of higher education in Kuwait.
Spring semester 2006 ended on a high note. Ten faculty were awarded research grants for project initiation or completion, and several others received professional development grants for conference travel. In June AUK gained accreditation from the Ministry of Higher Education Council for Private Universities (retroactive to February 2006). Also in June we celebrated the first graduation of AUK's transfer students. Eight graduating Business majors were feted not only by their faculty and families, but also by a distinguished group of visitors from Dartmouth College who presented AUK with a Proclamation of June 20, 2006 the AUK Day on the Dartmouth campus. Dr. Sheila Culbert of Dartmouth delivered the keynote speech.
This issue finds AUK preparing for the new academic year 2006-07 with renewed energy and expanded resources. Our faculty ranks have been strengthened by the arrival of ten new faculty whose photos you will find elsewhere in this issue. The new college building is being completed, with spacious new classrooms on three floors. On the fourth floor are faculty offices for the Divisions of Business & Economics and Humanities & Arts. In addition to the large conference room next to the new Dean's office is the attractive faculty and staff lounge. On the ground floor the cafeteria, open computer lab, and a new multipurpose room are nearing completion. This building will allow AUK to expand enrollment on this campus to 2,000 students. We are ready to welcome new and returning students, new Dartmouth interns, and our first Fulbright visitors.
Marina Tolmacheva
President,
American University
President Marina with the first AUK graduating class
The Board of Trustees of the American University of Kuwait (AUK) announced today the appointment of Dr. Marina Tolmacheva as president. An expert on the history of Islam, she came to AUK in January 2006 and has been serving as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and, more recently, as Acting President. She has taught at universities across the United States, as well as in France and in the Ukraine.
"It is my great privilege to make this announcement on behalf of the Board of Trustees," said Shaikha Dana al-Sabah, Chair of the university's Board. "Dr. Tolmacheva has consistently shown dedication to our mission as a liberal arts university. Her energy, enthusiasm, and broad expertise in academic as well as administrative areas will provide the leadership we need to move confidently into the future."
"I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to lead the American University of Kuwait at this important time in the institution's history," said Tolmacheva, "On June 20 we will graduate our first class and we have just gained accreditation from the Private University Council. These are two major milestones, yet much remains to be done. I intend to work with the Board of Trustees and with faculty, staff, and students to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for the university. We will enhance support for faculty scholarship and strengthen the administrative infrastructure on which our academic enterprise depends. I want to thank the entire AUK community for its continuing support, and I look forward to meeting our present challenges so we can take full advantage of our future opportunities."
Today's announcement comes after a presidential search process, begun in March, 2006, which was the first of its kind at a private university in Kuwait. Meshal Ali, Vice Chair of the AUK Board and a member of the Presidential Search Committee, said that conducting such a search has been a privilege for the institution. "We asked faculty, staff, and students to contribute to the process by sending us their thoughts about the kind of leadership the university needed," he said. "Many of them took that opportunity, sending us important and substantive feedback, and it was gratifying to see the community become involved in this way."
The American University of Kuwait was founded in 2003 as a private liberal arts university. Based on the American model of higher education, it is dedicated to providing students with knowledge, self-awareness, and personal growth experiences that enhance critical thinking, effective communication, and respect for diversity. The university has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dartmouth College, an Ivy League institution in New Hampshire in the United States of America. Founded in 1769, Dartmouth offers a premier undergraduate liberal arts experience combined with distinctive graduate programs in the arts and sciences, medicine, business, and engineering. Dartmouth and AUK continue to pursue a variety of advisory, consultative and cooperative projects.
Dale F. Eickelman, the Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Anthropology and Human Relations at Dartmouth, who also served as a member of the AUK Presidential Search Committee, said, "This is an auspicious moment for AUK and a proud moment for Dartmouth. Those of us who have worked with the Board and with Dr. Tolmacheva feel optimistic about what the future holds for every member of the university's community."
Dr. Marina Tolmacheva AUK's President
The American University of Kuwait (AUK) graduated its first students at Commencement Exercises on June 20, 2006. Parents, faculty, and staff attended the Graduation Ceremony at which eight students received their degrees.
Marina Tolmacheva, President of the American University of Kuwait told the graduates that they should take great pride in their accomplishments. Commencement is a graduation ceremony that celebrates the completion of your undergraduate studies, she said. It also marks a beginning as you commence your professional lives outside the university. Our motto is: Learn Think Become. As you leave AUK, the process of learning and becoming does not stop.
Dr. Sheila Culbert, Senior Assistant to James Wright, President of Dartmouth College, delivered the keynote speech to the graduating class. Dartmouth and AUK have signed a memorandum of understanding through which the two institutions collaborate on a variety of programs.
Culbert described the early history of Dartmouth, over two centuries ago in what was then the British colony of New Hampshire. She was then joined by Dr. Dale Eickelman, the Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Anthropology and Human Relations at Dartmouth, to present a proclamation by President James Wright to AUK.
The proclamation established June 20 as a day of celebration on both campuses, President Wright wrote, on opposite sides of the world but joined in a common enterprise. The people of Dartmouth College, with whom you share a dedication to the pursuit of knowledge, salute you, he went on to say. We are privileged to share this historic moment with you, and are confident that the American University of Kuwait will endure and flourish for generations to come.
Following the conferral of degrees, President Tolmacheva congratulated those students who had achieved the highest honors in their department. These honors went to:
Alawi Taqi also achieved the highest academic standing among the AUK student body, delivered the Class of 2006 Valedictorian speech. I owe many debts to those who have taught me, he said. I particularly like the way AUK faculty describe themselves not as teachers, but as shared learners, and the staff as friends and supporters.
The Graduates of the American University of Kuwait's Class of 2006 are:
Sara Al-Ateeqi; Business Administration - Finance (Magna Cum Laude)
Alawi Taqi; Business Administration - Management (Magna Cum Laude)
Shurook Sultan; Business Administration - Marketing
Manal Ahmed; Business Administration - Marketing
Somaya Al-Masri; Business Administration - Marketing
Saud Ahmed; Business Administration - Management
Meshal Al-Ali; Business Administration - Marketing
Taiba Al-Humaidhi; Business Administration - Management
Welcoming remarks by President Marina Tolmacheva
Student Keynote by Alawi Taqi
The American University of Kuwait hosted the 2006 AUK Academic Showcase on May 22 and 23 to highlight some of the unique programs and projects that AUK students have been working on. Students prepared multimedia presentations on a wide range of subject varying from traditional artifacts and clothing to international consequences of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York.
Students weren't the only ones to present during the showcase. Many distinguished members of the AUK faculty gave presentations on subjects relevant to their field of expertise in order for students to get a glimpse of what those fields encompass and to better tailor their class schedules to their academic interests. Below is a list of the presenters and their divisions.
Intensive English Program:
Ali Al Dossary
Mariam Al Ansari
Huda Al Failkawy
Mariam Al Ghanim
Dharah Al Yatama
Abdulreda Bennakhy
Elnaz Bennakhy
Ayed Al Enezy
Mohammed Reda
Ali Al Qallaf
Mubarak Al Fowzan
AUK-Soliya Connect Program:
Faisal al Shuraian
Nawaf Al Ajmi
Nadia Al Essa
Fahad Mohammad
Yusef Al Rashed
Rakan Al Sabah
Bader Al Shammaa
Abdul Aziz Al Adwani
Zaki Alsawaf
Abdulaziz Al Mejel
Nasser Buhaimed
Fahad Al Jassar
Ecommerce Program:
Fawaz Al Maghrabi
Rama Sabano
The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the American University of Kuwait (AUK) announced the formation of a presidential search committee. The committee will be responsible for identifying candidates and will make recommendations to the AUK Board of Trustees.
Shaikha Dana N. Al-Sabah, Chair of the AUK Board will serve as Chair of the presidential search committee. "This is an auspicious moment for the American University of Kuwait," she said "Since our founding, faculty, staff, and students have worked together to build a community of liberal learning, the first of its kind in Kuwait. I am honored to have the opportunity to chair this search process and I am grateful to all of the talented individuals who have agreed to serve in this important role on the university's behalf, and I look forward to working with them in the weeks and months to come."
AUK Trustee Thomas A. Bartlett, who will also serve as a member of the search committee, said, "It is of great importance to the Board, and to Acting President Tolmacheva, that all members of the AUK community have an opportunity to express their vision for the institution's future during this search." He said that he anticipates receiving important and substantive comments from Faculty, Students and Staff that will be of great value to the process. Bartlett is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the American University of Cairo, and served as President of Colgate University and as Chancellor of the Alabama, Oregon, and New York State University systems.
The American University of Kuwait and Dartmouth College have signed a memorandum of understanding that has allowed the two institutions to pursue a series of advisory, consultative, and cooperative projects. Founded in 1769 in New Hampshire in the United States of America, Dartmouth is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college with graduates programs in the arts and sciences, medicine, business, and engineering. The agreement reflects AUK's commitment to creating the best in liberal arts education, drawing from the rich tradition and expertise of Dartmouth, and Dartmouth's continuing recognition of the AUK commitment to quality.
The Search Committee for the President of the American University of Kuwait
Members:
Shaikha Dana N. Al-Sabah, (Chair of the search committee)
Chair, Board of Trustees, American University of Kuwait
Meshal Al-Ali
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees, American University of Kuwait
Wael Abdul-Ghafoor
Trustee, American University of Kuwait
Chair, American School of Kuwait
Thomas A. Bartlett
Trustee, American University of Kuwait
Trustee, the American University of Cairo
Former president, Colgate University and former chancellor, Alabama, Oregon, and New York State University systems
Samer Khanachet
Trustee, American University of Kuwait
Trustee, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
President, Arab Bankers Association of America
President, United Gulf Management, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
Dale F. Eickelman
Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Anthropology and Human Relations
Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
Relationship Coordinator, the Dartmouth-AUK Project
Clifford Chanin
President, The Legacy Project, New York
Senior Consultant, The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, New York
Former Associate Director for the Arts and Humanities Program Rockefeller Foundation, New York
Scholarship Fundraiser Dinner Honoring "Phenomenal Women"
The American University of Kuwait hosted the first annual Mother/Daughter Tea at 7:00 PM on the night of Tuesday, May 16. The Salwa Sabah Al Ahmed Theatre and Hall on Gulf Road served as a beautiful venue for this gala event. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the special relationship between mothers and daughters and to honor the Phenomenal Women in our lives.
The evening was hosted by Dr. Carol Ross, Dean of Student Affairs at AUK, and featured student poetry and musical selections dedicated to mothers. AUK's faculty and staff also spoke about their feelings on watching their daughters grow into the amazing women. Pearls of Wisdom were distributed to several members of the audience, inviting them up to speak about their experiences with being a mother or a daughter. Mothers and daughters gave one another a piece of their heart; a token gift shared by all attendees. Famed opera star Amani Al-Haji and talented pianist Elaina highlighted the night with a phenomenal performance, making this truly an event to remember. Two of our students' fathers have underwritten this entire event so all proceeds from ticket sales will go into the scholarship fund for women. Their generosity was amazing and really helps us begin our fundraising campaign.
The following benefactors have donated gifts which were raffled at the event:
Edo
Kuwait Airways
Wataniya Telecommunications
Al Shaya Dining
Hotel
Sheraton
Flex Health Club
Cozmo Entertainment
Qualitynet
SafirÃÂ International
Mohammed Nasser Al-Hajery
Marina
Hotels
IKEA
Jaques Dessange/Platinum Enterprises Centerpoint
Crown Plaza
Palms Beach & Spa
Marriott Courtyard
Bredz
Anisa Tawash
Jassim Al Wazzan Co.- Johnson & Johnson
Our sincere appreciation goes out to all of them for making this event a success.
The Mother/Daughter Tea was the inaugural event in AUK's fundraising campaign that aims to raise money in order to create a scholarship fund for exceptional young women.
